First Fanfic...so please review! (Also, I don't own Vampire Academy, or the characters...*sigh*...All of this goes out to Richelle Meade!)

Remembering him is the worst. The ache returns, with even more pain than the time before. I can't eat, can't sleep without nightmares, and sometimes, I can't even think. I just cry, hoping he'll show up to comfort me. But I end up sobbing even harder, because I know he won't come.

Lissa is as tore up about me, as I am about Dimitri. The only reason I know that much is because of the bond. She and Christian are here with me right now, in my room. I can feel Lissa's arms around me, and Christian's hand in mine. Through the bond I can feel Lissa's despair. It's been a week; I should come back to her.

I lean my head against her shoulder, looking up at her angelic face. "I can't believe he left," I whisper.

Their heads snap up and they gape at me, not quite sure how to handle the sudden change in me. Christian pipes up first, "I'm sorry he went with Aunt Tasha…she can be a real bitch sometimes."

I'm shocked at how he referenced his aunt, but give him a small smile and squeeze his hand. "It's okay, Fireboy." We sit like that for a minute more, when Liss and Chris hop up.

"I'll bring Eddie in," Lissa says with a smile, "He's been standing guard outside your room all week." I nod, glad to see my friend again. My stomach flutters a little at the thought of him protecting my dorm.

Half a second after Fireboy and Liss slip out of the door, Eddie pushes his way through. He just freezes for a moment, taking in my red, puffy eyes, and sickly pale skin. Then, suddenly, he all but jumps on top of me, pulling my body into his strong arms.

"You scared me, Rose," he murmurs into my hair, "You really scared me."

"I'm sorry," I mumble against his chest, smelling his masculine cologne.

"You aren't the one who needs to apologize."

Eddie must feel me tense up, because he starts rubbing my back in soothing circles. "Hey, guess what? Lissa was going to go shopping tomorrow. Doesn't that sound like fun? You'll be able to get some sun, maybe you won't be so deathly white anymore," He says with a laugh.

I giggle, wriggling out of his arms, "Hey! Watch it, Castile. I don't want to have to beat you up."

"Oh, like you could beat me up!"

I playfully punch him in the arm, "I could whoop you with my eyes closed!"

"Whatever," he exclaims, poking me in the side.

I chuckle, "Yeah, that's what I thought."

The next day, Saturday, was beautiful. We left in an academy SUV at one pm human time, with Alberta and Stan. Another SUV was filled with five more guardians. Alberta and Stan two guardians sat in the front, Lissa, Christian and Adrian at in the middle, and Eddie and I sat in the back. There wasn't a whole lot of room, so when I got tired, I just leaned against Eddie. Just before I dozed off, I saw Alberta smiling at us in the rear view mirror, and felt Eddie slipping his arms around me.

Two hours later, I woke to someone gently shaking me. I groaned and made a face.

"What?" I whine, hearing a male's voice chuckling.

"It's time to shop, sleepyhead," It was Eddie.

"Castile," I yawn, "you're killing me." He helps me out of the vehicle as I groggily gain back the use of my limbs.

"ROSE!" Lissa squeals as we walk towards the mall's entrance.

"LISSA!" I screech back, "WHAT?"

She laughs, "I'm just really excited!" I smile at her, and we loop our arms together. Before we walk into our first store, she glances back at everyone else, who are lagging about twenty feet behind us.

"You guys better keep up!"

Five hours and hundreds of dollars later, we can't decide on the last shop to go into. I want to go to an athletic wear store, but Lissa wants to get some new earrings. I don't want to leave her since the moroi's needs come first, but Alberta assures me it's fine if I go to my store and meet them at the food court in half an hour.

So, I head off to the opposite side of the mall, and find my store. I only take a few minutes, and buy a few workout tanks and leggings. I glance at the clock behind the register as I pay the cashier. I still have twenty minutes before I have to meet the others at the food court, so I decide to walk around the outside of the mall to get some fresh air.

After a few minutes of strolling in the moonlit darkness, I hear footsteps behind me. That's not abnormal, considering other people might meander around in this area, so I let it go. But, after five more minutes, I decide to glimpse behind me. It's a group of five moroi men, probably in their mid twenties.

"Hey, dhampir! Wait for us, babe."

I scoff, and keep walking, "I'm not your babe."

They whistle, "She's a feisty one, guys. Say, what's a cute little novice like you doing out here in the big city. Not that this place is big, but it's better than that stupid academy."

"That's none of your business," I call back to them, "Now leave me alone."

"Oh c'mon, sweetheart, don't be like that. We'll be gentlemen about it, okay? Now let's get somewhere cozier, what do you say?"

I stop and turn towards them, "I said, 'leave me alone'! Now go before I hurt you."

They chuckle, and a second too late I realize I'm only seeing four of the five men. A strong pair of hands wrenches mine back behind me, and into cuffs. I try kicking at my attacker, but my legs are weak from the long day of walking around, and they do minimal damage. Come one, Rose! You're a dhampir for God's sake! Pull yourself together! What would Dimitri say?! My body flinches at the thought of his name, which gives the rest of the moroi men a chance to immobilize the rest of me.

They scoop my thrashing body up, and to an empty limo...of course. There driver doesn't even flinch at the sight of me, and immediately slams on the gas once they are all inside. It takes four of them to keep me from lashing around. I scream and curse, and cry.

I was raped by the five moroi.

Four hours after my capture, the men toss me into a parking lot, and drive away into the night. I shiver in the cold, realizing I'm only in a bra and panties. I lift my aching head, to see a massive building about three quarters of a mile away from my freezing, throbbing body. It's the mall. They threw me in a lot by the mall. How kind of them.

I curl up into a ball, trying to retain all of my body heat, and bawl. Not only did my pride hurt, but my body was hurting, too. Five men had their way with me, and I couldn't do anything about it. It was nothing like the cabin with Dimitri, where love was the reason for our lust. This was evil, and animalistic. I wondered if I was in worse enough shape where I would die. I know I want to die. I don't even think about how it would affect Lissa. I decide to pray for once in my life.

"God, please just let me die," I sob, then scream into the darkness, "PLEASE! JUST LET ME DIE!"

Soon, I see beams of light flashing around the entrance of the mall. There are tons of black SUVs parked at the front, and I fleetingly wonder why. People are talking hurriedly back and forth, looking desperate but energized. I shout in frustration. Why are they upset? Their world didn't just come crashing down around them! Their life isn't over like mine is!

After a few wails, I notice the beams of light turn my direction. Someone shouts, and people begin sprinting towards me.

"Rose?!" Familiar voices call out worriedly. A man reaches me first. He looks frantically at my practically naked body, then leans down to touch me.

I cringe, "NO! DON'T! PLEASE DON'T DO IT AGAIN! NOT AGAIN!" I howl.

"Rose," he says anxiously, "It's me, Eddie. Rose, I won't hurt you. I won't let anyone hurt you."

I don't know him, do I? He's just saying that so he can-no! I know that messy, blond hair, and those kind eyes.

"Eddie?" I whimper. He nods at me as the others gather around us. I use what's left of my energy and throw myself against him, weeping. He embraces me fiercely, and whispers nonsensical things into my ear. "I tried fighting them, Eddie! I just wasn't strong enough! I'm a failure! Those men…they…they-," I couldn't finish that sentence. I couldn't say that disgusting word. But Eddie knew; everyone did. I mean, there was no other reasonable explanation for me being half nude.

"You are not a failure, Rose!" he tells me ferociously. I cringe a little from him, and he softens. "You aren't a failure. Those men are evil, and don't deserve to live. I won't let them hurt you again, I promise."

Alberta crouches down beside us, and touches Eddie's shoulder. "We need to get her back, Eddie. She needs a doctor, and we can't take her to a human hospital. She's got bites all over her; how could we explain that?"

I just now notice the bite marks, and I wish the endorphins were still flowing throughout my body. Maybe I wouldn't feel like hell.

Eddie nods in agreement with Alberta, and the guardians jog to their vehicles. Eddie keeps a strong hold on my back, but slips an arm under my knees, and lifts me up.

"Lissa," I mumble, "Is Lissa okay?

"Lissa's perfectly fine, Rose. Stan took her, Christian, and Adrian back to the academy a few hours ago. They didn't leave without a good fight, though."

Eddie stepped into a pothole, and my body jarred. My everywhere hurts. I could now feel the bites, scratches, and bruises all over me. Eddie apologized after I yelped, and I buried my face into his neck.

"Eddie?" I whisper.

"Hmm?" he looks down at me as he settles us in our SUV. Alberta and a few other guardians are buckling their seatbelts.

"Please don't let them come back for me," I beg. Everyone in the car freezes, silent. Alberta looks at me with pure sadness in her eyes.

"Rose," Alberta says, "No one is going to hurt you again, none of us are going to let that happen." Sadly, I think more heartache is in my future. I was right.

Again please review, and let me know what you think should happen! I'm not sure who I want Rose to be with yet! Should it be Eddie or Dimitri? What do you think is going to happen to Rose in the next chapter?